Amphetamine and Meth Differentially Affect Dopamine Transporters

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Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Differentially Affect Dopamine Transporters in Vitro and in Vivo

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:c407b973-a6e8-41df-81a2-e287367d79e6

The psychostimulants D-amphetamine (AMPH) and meth­amphetamine (METH) release excess dopamine (DA) into the synaptic clefts of dopaminergic neurons.

Abnormal DA re­lease is thought to occur by reverse transport through the DA transporter (DAT), and it is believed to underlie the severe behavioral effects of these drugs.

Here we compare structurally similar AMPH and METH on DAT function in a heterologous expression system and in an animal model. In the in vitro expression system, DAT-mediated whole-cell currents were greater for METH stimulation than for AMPH.

At the same volt­age and concentration, METH released five times more DA than AMPH and did so at physiological membrane potentials.